HELP!! Student about to purchase first DSLR

jdm2lpm · May 30, 2010

Hello everyone,

I am a new student with the New York Institute of photography, and I am about to purchase my first DSLR. My budget is unfortuantelly around $600.00, and I am trying to figure out which camera kit to purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

This is what I have found so far

1.) $629.00 - New Nikon D5000 body + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens

2.) $549.99 - Refurb Olympus E-620 + 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 + ED 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 Zuiko

3.) $599.99 - Refurb Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S Body +18-55mm Lens

aquaticvideographer · May 31, 2010

All of the kits you mention have nice upper entry-level crop-body dSLRs, and basic lenses. dpreview compares them directly here. All three companies make great cameras and lenses. One difference between them is that the Olympus has in-body image stabilization (IS, or VR as Nikon calls it), whereas the Canon and Nikon both have that feature in some of their lenses (for example, the Nikon lens you list).

There are other differences which the dpreview review goes over more in-depth.

One thing to keep in mind when deciding on a new dSLR system is the investment you may already have in existing, compatible lenses. Many dSLR systems will work with legacy lenses from film SLRs. For example, if you already have Canon EOS system lenses for a film EOS, you can probably use them on a new T1i. Usually, the autofocus will work, although it will probably be slower than the lenses you would buy new today for the T1i. Also, legacy lenses will function with a longer effective focal length on a crop body like the T1i.

Finally, since buying a dSLR really is an investment in a system (of bodies, lenses, flashes, and so on), and you're on a tight budget, you might ask your friends and colleagues if they have any gear they would be willing to lend. Canon and Nikon have the lion's share of the market, so it's more likely that you will easily find those brands' gear out there, especially if you are looking for used/refurb gear.

Best of luck with school!

Qarik · May 31, 2010

at that price point..there really isn't much that distinguishes features/quality. They are all good entry level SLR and you can't go wrong with any of them. I would try going to a store and feeling each of them in your hands to see which suite you the best ergonomically.

ElectricDreams · May 31, 2010

I agree with what Qarik has to say. I have really big hands and the D5000 is way to small for me to be comfortable with. Everyone knows that with Photography, you need to be comfortable with your set up so you can shoot longer without being uncomfortable. Since most of those are very common cameras, you might even be able to walk into a walmart and try them out. I know for sure any Best Buy will have both of those cameras. If it were me, I definitely go with the Canon or the Nikon since they are easily the most popular and easiest to find gear for.

NikonsandVstroms · May 31, 2010

jdm2lpm wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I am a new student with the New York Institute of photography, and I am about to purchase my first DSLR. My budget is unfortuantelly around $600.00, and I am trying to figure out which camera kit to purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

This is what I have found so far

1.) $629.00 - New Nikon D5000 body + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens

2.) $549.99 - Refurb Olympus E-620 + 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 + ED 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 Zuiko

3.) $599.99 - Refurb Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S Body +18-55mm Lens

If you can give some more details in the fields you are interested that would help give a more detailed answer but here is my general one:

Olympus, Olympus, Olympus

Why?

1) For one you are getting much more bang for the buck, 2 lenses which rate very highly and are superior in many ways to the Nikon/Canon equivalents. You get an actual focus ring with the 14-42 and a pedal style hood which helps more.

2) Customization, the E-620 has a very easy to use graphic interface for most common settings. But then if you go deep into the menus the amount of options are amazing. I own both the E-620 and E-420 and while the E-420 felt like a really good consumer DSLR the E-620 is closer in the ability to customize to my D700.

Put it this way, Nikon and Canon in many ways "cripple" their consumer DSLR's leaving out features so you want to upgrade. Olympus does the opposite and throws everything they can into the camera. One funny thing is my E-420/620 will meter with manual focus lenses and my old Nikon D50 couldn't.

3) Image quality, the Olympus lenses are great and their image processing brings out much richer colors leaving less post processing compared to Canon/Nikon.

4) Lenses, so once you get the DSLR you will want X, Y, and Z lens this is how it works and will suck all your money. But here is a big advantage to Olympus, they offer 3 distinct tiers of lenses. The middle tier is what you will be after and gives you a big advantage. These lenses have slightly variable apertures (2.8-3.5 usually) so they are fast, image quality is amazing (Olympus is known for their lenses) and the price is around the same as the 3rd party Sigma or Tamron lenses but you get a much better build quality. Even their consumer level lenses have some great choices like the 9-18 and 35 macro, I own both and can highly recommend them.

This is one area I wish Canon/Nikon would beef up because you can have slow lenses that are cheap, or faster ones that are closer to 2,000 dollars (Canon does offer some F4 lenses but this is slower than the Olympus ones and they are much more expensive).

5) Small size, the E-620 is tiny, and that telephoto is about the same size as the kit zoom making it much smaller than the Canon/Nikon 55-200's. This lets you have the camera with you more often.

6) Self portrait projects, you always get them and the Olympus will give you a huge advantage. You can turn on the live view, swivel the screen so it is facing out and then see what you look like/set composition on the screen.

7) Upgrade path, so you are out of school what to do....

Honestly we have no idea who will be the top of any genre by then, Canon used to be the low light camera then Nikon came out with the D3. But even if you get a Canon, Nikon, or Sony (the A-850 is one I am eying as a studio camera

) you have a great travel camera with the Olympus. In a tiny bag I can fit it and 4 lenses. And if you want to stick with Olympus they have amazing Pro lenses including F2 zoom lenses. Their 35-100 is one of the sharpest lenses you can buy for ANY system.

Now the issue with Olympus in the past has been noise but the E-620 is close to the others with that now. ISO 800 is flawless running it through lightroom 3 and 1600 has a hint of grain. As you can tell I love my Olympus cameras and I have produced many of my favorite images with them some even with the 2 lenses you would be getting.

NikonsandVstroms · May 31, 2010

ElectricDreams wrote: »

If it were me, I definitely go with the Canon or the Nikon since they are easily the most popular and easiest to find gear for.

Just a quick note, since he is going to school in NYC he can stop by B&H photo which means that wouldn't be an issue.

jdm2lpm if you haven't checked out B&H I highly recommend it

think of something the size of best buy but ALL CAMERAS!

chrisjohnson · May 31, 2010

NikonsandVstroms wrote: »

Just a quick note, since he is going to school in NYC he can stop by B&H photo which means that wouldn't be an issue.

jdm2lpm if you haven't checked out B&H I highly recommend it think of something the size of best buy but ALL CAMERAS!

Good thought. If I was going to photo school in New York on a tight budget I would shop locally for a great second hand kit deal. Look out for good lenses to cover a broad range and a good body (even FF) which is 3-4 years old. Sorry for Olympus fans but I would restrict myself to a choice between Canon or Nikon. Anything over 6 megapixels with a manual mode and RAW will do. A student will need a lot of other stuff - tripod, flash, lights, etc.

New York is full of bankers who bought top of the line a few years ago, never used it, and now want to clear their attic as they move to a smaller appartment. Don't buy new.

ziggy53 · May 31, 2010

New York Institute of Photography is a pretty good online school, and you really can learn the basics there. (My father took their courses years ago, although it was by mail in those days.)

The Olympus system is the most versatile system listed just by virtue of the 2 - rather nice "kit" lenses. It's not perfect but would probably do.

If your budget is really limited to $600 for everything then I would rather suggest the Adorama:

Olympus E-600 Digital SLR Camera, with 14mm - 42mm f3.5-5.6 & ED 40 -150mm f4.0-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lenses. The Olympus E-600 is basically an E-620 minus a couple of features that you can do without. It has the same imager, image processor, stabilization and user interface and can produce identical images compared to an E-620, but a better price.

http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/IOME600K1R.html

Use the money you save to purchase an external flash. The E-600 has a wireless commander capability so the FL-36R is a candidate flash.

http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/IOMFL36R.html

Lighting is easily more important than either camera or lenses, so an external flash is an absolute requirement to gain some control over ambient alone. Also add some DIY flash modifiers and some reflectors and you can do some pretty amazing things with that basic kit.

I greatly prefer the following 2 DIY light modifiers for my own flash units:

http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

http://abetterbouncecard.com/

Another pretty good commercial variation on the "bounce card" is:

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/

The following are single flash applications:

time2smile · June 1, 2010

Go to one of the large camera stores in the city and hold each camera in your hand. Its like a pair of gloves, when you put the right one on, you will know it... You will need to be very comfortable with it and the controls, if you are not, then it will seem to be more like work.

These days all good Dslr's have good glass available, if you want to pay for it of course. Be happy with your choice....

nightowlcat · June 1, 2010

What are the requirements of the classes for the first year? You may want to stretch budget by buying used equipment

Nikon D50 $245
Nikon 18-55 VR $94.95
$339.95

Add in a new SB-600 for $219.95 and you're still within budget at $559.90 (plus tax)

D80 & 18-55 VR $579.95

Those two cameras will also drive the AF-D lenses like the 50mm f1.8 I can't find a used 18-70 that will give you a little extra reach too and is a decent lens. That D5000 you have listed won't drive the AF-D so you'd have to manual focus, just the AF-S will autofocus.

jdm2lpm wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I am a new student with the New York Institute of photography, and I am about to purchase my first DSLR. My budget is unfortuantelly around $600.00, and I am trying to figure out which camera kit to purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

This is what I have found so far

1.) $629.00 - New Nikon D5000 body + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens

2.) $549.99 - Refurb Olympus E-620 + 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 + ED 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 Zuiko

3.) $599.99 - Refurb Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S Body +18-55mm Lens

HelenOster · June 2, 2010

ziggy53 wrote: »

New York Institute of Photography is a pretty good online school, and you really can learn the basics there. (My father took their courses years ago, although it was by mail in those days.)

.......If your budget is really limited to $600 for everything then I would rather suggest the Adorama:

Olympus E-600 Digital SLR Camera, with 14mm - 42mm f3.5-5.6 & ED 40 -150mm f4.0-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lenses. ....http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/IOME600K1R.html

Use the money you save to purchase an external flash. The E-600 has a wireless commander capability so the FL-36R is a candidate flash.

http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/IOMFL36R.html

I don't know if you're aware but Adorama offers a discount to NYIP students.

Contact me for more info!

time2smile · June 2, 2010

HelenOster wrote: »

I don't know if you're aware but Adorama offers a discount to NYIP students.

Contact me for more info!

There you go, it dont get better than that...

HELP!! Student about to purchase first DSLR

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